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The IUP Journal of Operations Management

The Importance of Flexible Workforce in Jit System: A Theoretical Approach

Article Details

Pub. Date	:Feb, 2022
Product Name	: The IUP Journal of Operations Management
Product Type	: Article
Product Code	: IJOM10222
Author Name	: Tejaswini Kumar, Rashmi Srinivasaiah and Sagarika R
Availability	: YES
Subject/Domain	: Management
Download Format	: PDF Format
No. of Pages	: 18

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Abstract

The aim of this paper is to theoretically analyze the importance of flexible workforce in any organization/firm. A literature review of 38 papers related to basic elements of Just-in-Time (JIT) in various sectors was carried out, and the data was analyzed, followed by a discussion on case studies related to workforce flexibility in different firms. This paper explains the importance of having a flexible workforce. From literature review, it was found that the JIT basic elements' continuous improvement and quality are closer to flexible workforce than other elements. To put it differently, adopting JIT through a flexible workforce will only be successful if continuous improvement is achieved, and by doing so, the quality of the entire organization will increase. This paper provides an overview of implementing JIT through flexible workforce in any organizational sector. It suggests a better way of using flexible workforce for the successful implementation of JIT.

Introduction

The rising competition in the market has forced organizations to take a relook at their business strategies (Rathi, 2018). Organizations try several strategies like Just-in-Time (JIT), Kanban system, 5's, etc. to remain in the market (Kumar and Divakaran, 2011; and Rathi, 2018). Out of these, JIT has been extensively used all over the world since 1980 (Meybodi, 2003). According to Slack et al. (2010), JIT can be defined as an operation activity that aims to have a smooth flow even during demand fluctuations without compromising on quality. It is a technique that makes all the stakeholders of an organization responsible to provide quality product and service (Kaswan et al.,